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UPSC Prelims Syllabus
UPSC Prelims Syllabus: The Civil Service Exam is held annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for renowned positions in the Government of India, such as IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS etc. Candidates must pass three stages of the exam i.e., Prelims, Mains, and Interview Round to be recruited for these positions.
The UPSC Prelims Exam is divided into two papers: General Studies Paper and CSAT. The candidates must pass the Prelims Exam in order to be qualified for the UPSC Mains Exam, even though the marks earned in the UPSC Prelims 2023 will not be included in the final merit list.
We have covered the entire UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2023 in this article to assist you in planning your study strategy. It helps to create confidence and makes it simple for the aspirant to plan a strategy for passing the UPSC Prelims exam if a candidate is familiar with the detailed Syllabus for UPSC Prelims exam. On May 28, 2023, the UPSC CSE preliminary examination will be held.
Read More: UPSC Syllabus
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2023
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2023 | |
Name | Prelims Syllabus |
Exam Date | 28th May 2023 |
Number of Papers | Two (General Studies – 1 & CSAT) |
Types of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions (Objective Type) |
Duration of Exam | 2 hours each |
Total Marks | 200 marks for each paper (Total of 400 marks) |
Language of Exam | English & Hindi |
Negative Marking | ⅓rd mark |
Marks Counted in Merit | No |
Read More: UPSC Syllabus in Hindi
UPSC Prelims Syllabus Subject-wise
The detailed UPSC Prelims Syllabus is available in this section. Candidates can review the complete General Studies (Paper I) and CSAT (Paper II) Syllabus subject-wise and start preparing for the UPSC CSE 2023.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus for GS Paper 1
The first paper of the UPSC Prelims Exam is General Studies 1 (GS-1) which includes Geography, History, Art & Culture, Polity, Economy, Environment & Ecology, General Science, Science & Technology and Current Affairs.
Geography Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Oceanography, Climatology, Physiography of India, Soils in India etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the Geography UPSC Prelims Syllabus refer to the below table:
Geography UPSC Prelims Syllabus | |
Fundamentals of Geography (Physical Geography) | Principles of Indian Geography |
General Geography
Geomorphology
Oceanography
Climatology
Bio Geography
Human and Economic Geography
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Indian Geography
World Regional Geography
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Read More: UPSC Geography Syllabus
History Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Ancient History, Medieval History and Modern History are the major categorisations of Indian History. Every section has its own importance to understand the chronology of Indian History thoroughly. Out of these, Modern History has its own importance as per the past UPSC trends. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the History Syllabus for UPSC Prelims refers to the below table:
UPSC Prelims Syllabus for History | ||
Ancient History | Medieval History | Modern History |
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Read More: UPSC Notification 2023
Art & Culture Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Architecture, Classical dance forms, Folk dance forms, Mural Painting, Miniature Paintings etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the Art & Culture UPSC Prelims Syllabus refer to the below table:
UPSC Prelims Syllabus for Art & Culture |
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Read More: UPSC Mains Syllabus
Environment Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Mangroves, Coral Reefs, Climate Change etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the Environment UPSC Prelims Syllabus refer to the below table:
Environment UPSC Prelims Syllabus | |
Environment & Ecology | Biodiversity |
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Polity Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Fundamental Rights, DPSPs, Fundamental Duties, Judiciary, CAG, Attorney General of India etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the Polity UPSC Prelims Syllabus refer to the below table:
Polity UPSC Prelims Syllabus | |
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Economy Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Money & Banking, Monetary Policy, Fiscal Policy, Inflation, Five-year plans, etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the Economy UPSC Prelims Syllabus refer to the below table:
Economy | |
Basic Concepts
Economic Measurements
Money & Banking
Public Finance in India
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Planning
Open Economy
Economic Sectors
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General Science Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
Science & Technology, Defence, Space, Biology, Basic Physics concepts, Biotechnology etc. are important topics for the UPSC exam. For topic-wise detailed coverage of the General Science UPSC Prelims Syllabus refers to the below table:
General Science Syllabus for UPSC Prelims |
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CSAT Syllabus for UPSC Prelims
The following main categories comprise the UPSC Prelims CSAT Syllabus that has been mentioned in the UPSC’s notification:
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numerical skills (orders of magnitude, numbers & their relations, etc.) (Class X level)
- Data Interpretation (graphs, charts, tables, data sufficiency etc.) (Class X level).
UPSC Prelims Syllabus PDF
Here is the complete UPSC Prelims Syllabus PDF:
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2023
Candidates should thoroughly understand the UPSC CSE (Civil Service Examination) exam pattern before referring to the UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2023. The UPSC Prelims exam has two papers. General Studies (GS) is the first paper for the UPSC prelims test, and CSAT is the second paper. The Civil Services Aptitude Test is sometimes referred to as CSAT.
UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
Paper | Subject | Marks | No. of Question | Duration |
I | General Studies 1 (GS-1) | 200 | 100 | 2 hours |
II | General Studies 1 (GS-1) CSAT | 200 | 80 | 2 hours |
Some Important Facts about UPSC Prelims Exam:
- For each incorrectly marked answer, one-third of a mark is deducted; however, no marks are deducted for questions that go unanswered.
- For General Studies (Paper I), candidates earn 2 marks for the correct answer and 0.66 is deducted for each incorrect answer.
- Candidates will be awarded 2.5 marks for each correct answer on CSAT (Paper-II), and 0.833 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer. This paper will be qualifying in nature with a fixed minimum qualifying mark of 33%.
- The Prelims exam marks won’t be counted into the final score (merit list).
- The General Studies exam is organized in the morning shift and CSAT (GS Paper 2) in the evening shift on the same day.
Read More: UPSC Exam Pattern 2023
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2023 FAQs
Q. What is the syllabus for prelims in UPSC?
Ans. The first paper of the UPSC Prelims Exam is General Studies 1 (GS-1) which includes Geography, History, Art & Culture, Polity, Economy, Environment & Ecology, General Science, Science & Technology and Current Affairs and Paper 2 CSAT is based on aptitude & comprehensions.
Q. Is Ncert sufficient for UPSC Prelims?
Ans. For the IAS examination, NCERT books are essential. However, candidates should also read other relevant books that are necessary for value addition.
Q. How many books are in UPSC Prelims?
Ans. There is no fixed number of books. NCERT is mandatory to start the preparation but some other books are also required to enhance the knowledge and sometimes it depends on your educational background and understanding of the specific subjects.
Q. Can I qualify for IAS without coaching?
Ans. Yes, it is possible to pass the IAS exam without coaching. It depends on how well he or she studies and how serious & consistent the preparation is. Without any coaching, you can crack the UPSC CSE if you are proficient in self-study.
Q. How many papers are in UPSC prelims?
Ans. There are 2 papers in the UPSC prelims exam one is General Studies (Paper 1) and the other is CSAT (Paper 2).
Q. What are the subjects in prelims UPSC?
Ans. Geography, History, Art & Culture, Polity, Economy, Environment & Ecology, General Science, Science & Technology and Current Affairs are the subjects in the UPSC Prelims exam.
Q. What are the passing marks for prelims?
Ans. UPSC Prelims exam has 2 papers: General Studies Paper I marks should be above the cut-off marks that are decided by the commission and Paper 2 CSAT is a qualifying paper that requires a minimum of 33%.
Q. Do prelims marks matter?
Ans. Yes, prelims marks matter a lot because it is an entry gate to enter the UPSC mains exam journey.